From the Pastor…
Sandy and I are pleased to celebrate 5 years of ministry here at Roberdel this month. In many ways it has been a very challenging time, but it has been a time of spiritual growth for us, and the relationships we have made here have been a blessing for which we will always be grateful! We have truly grown to love you brothers and sisters in Christ. We have mourned with you in times of grief and we have celebrated with you in times of great joy. These are very intimate opportunities that help to solidify our connectedness. I see these opportunities as a tremendous blessing and am very grateful to you and our Lord for allowing me to be a part of them. We are also extremely grateful for the loving way you have come alongside of us in our times of trial and grief and celebrated with us during our times of great joy. It is our prayer that God allows us many more such opportunities to grow together – preferably in times of joy – until Jesus returns (soon)!
This month includes the most important celebration of all. The reason we come together every Sunday is to remember and celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. It is always a special day at Roberdel when we come together on Easter Sunday. As always, I am very excited about this special day of worship this year. We will not be having a Maundy Thursday service this year but we will have a special time of Bible Study to prepare for Easter on Wednesday night during Holy Week. On Thursday the 14th we will be practicing our “resurrection faith” by serving in the local soup kitchen. We have agreed to serve in this capacity every month on the 2nd Thursday. The only requirement is for small teams of 3-4 people to prepare and distribute meals from 12-1 pm. The Soup Kitchen is located in Hamlet just down the street from the Hardware Store. Many of the items and a kitchen are on site, and the major responsibility is to determine the menu and make sure the food is available to distribute at noon. The meal can be as simple as a box lunch or as elaborate as a home cooked meal.
My goal is to have enough teams volunteer to take a month that nobody will be required to go more than once or twice per year. If you have a heart for this ministry and want to go every month, that will be great, but I am hoping some mission groups and Sunday School classes will step up and volunteer to be a part of this important ministry so we can share in the blessing. This is truly being the hands and feet of Jesus as we feed those who are less fortunate right here in our community. Matthew 25:31-46 is where we get this calling! Please let me know of your interest and we will help you get on board.
You may know that in addition to working in the school, my wife sells Avon. Last year she did very well and earned a vacation to Hawaii. She and I will be leaving very early on March 31st and traveling there, to return home on April 5th. Pastor Jason will deliver the message on April 3rd and be teaching Bible Study on March 30th. Please pray for us as we travel, along with our friends and travel partners, Carolyn Ford (Sandy’s Avon Mentor) and her sister, Donna Davis. We are excited about this opportunity and I am very proud of Sandy’s accomplishment!
We continue to praise God for His rich blessings and we look forward to everything He has in store for RBC going forward!
In Christian Love,
Pastor Billy
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